China's National Administration of Surveying, Mapping and Geoinformation says it is still examining Google's license to serve online maps of the country but permits the U.S. Internet giant to continue its operations.

In a statement Wednesday, the bureau said Google's Chinese partner Guxiang had applied for a license in November. It noted that according to local regulations, online map services can still operate while their license is being examined but are not allowed to include new information in the service.

When approving licenses, the bureau said it would take into consideration Chinese regulations which state that foreign partners must not contribute more than 50 percent of investment in the Chinese company.

As of Jan. 31, 2012, the Chinese government has approved a total of 279 online map licenses.

The only journalist in the team without a Western name, Yun Qing hails from the mountainy Malaysian state, Sabah. She currently covers the hardware and networking beats, as well as everything else that falls into her lap, at ZDNet Asia. Her RSS feed includes tech news sites and most of the Cheezburger network. She is also a cheapskate mas...
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